How to Evaluate the Impact of Corporate Purpose

Companies must develop the capacity to accurately assess whether they are making progress toward social and environmental goals.

Christian Busch and Lisa Hehenberger

July 27, 2022

Confronted by employees seeking meaningful work, customers demanding sustainable and traceable products, and investors who want companies to do both well and good — while inequality is rising and climate change is an increasingly dire threat — business leaders are redefining the purpose of their organizations. These days, one is hard-pressed to find a major company that has not incorporated the greater good into a statement that lays out the organization’s reason for existing.

But if corporate purpose is to be more than ...